M50 motorway (Ireland)
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| M50 motorway | |
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| Part of National Route |  (Unsigned) |
| Length | 45 km (27 miles) |
| Direction | North-South (C-ring) |
| Start | Dublin Port |
| Primary destinations | Santry, Ballymun, Finglas, Blanchardstown, Palmerstown, Tallaght, Dundrum, Sandyford |
| End | Shankill |
| Construction dates | 1990 (J6-J11) (J1-J3 opened 1985 as part of M1 motorway, redesignated M50 2006) - 2006 |
| Motorways joined |  -  M1 motorway  -  M11 motorway. |
| Other National Routes joined |  -  N1 National Route -  N32 National Route  -  N2 National Route  -  N3 National Route  -  N4 National Route  -  N7 National Route  -  N81 National Route  -  N31 National Route |
| Euroroute(s) |  E-01 E-20 |
The M50 motorway is a motorway and National Primary Route (N50) in Ireland running in a C-shaped ring around the north-eastern, northern, western and southern sides of the capital city, Dublin. The northern end of the route is located at the junction with the M1 motorway, with the Dublin Port Tunnel connecting it to Dublin Port. It crosses the dual West-Link toll bridges over the River Liffey west of Dublin, and forms a loop around the south-east of Dublin to meet the M11 route (running south to Wexford) at Bray, County Wicklow.
The M50 was first proposed in the Dublin Transportation Study of 1971. The completed M50 motorway was formally opened on 30 June 2005, although the Dublin Port Tunnel, which had been opened on 20 December 2006 also forms part of the route.
Work commenced in early 2006 on upgrading the earlier sections of motorway. Many of the current grade-separated signal-controlled roundabout interchanges will be replaced with free-flowing junctions and much of the road will be widened to three lanes in each direction with the section between the N4 road and N7 road widened to four-lane carriageways.
The N50 is the only National Primary Route that is entirely motorway-graded road (apart from on the statutes, the road is designated M50).
The non-motorway ring-road section continuing eastward from Junction 3 is not the N50 (because this follows the M50 route south), but it is rather a separate National Primary Route, which is called the N32.
Between the construction of the Western Parkway and the Southern Cross Route, a short section of road south of the then Tallaght roundabout (now Tallaght interchange) was a single carriageway road and it was the only section to ever publicly carry the designation N50, although this was only ever restricted to printed road maps. No official road signage reading "N50" was ever erected.
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[edit] Layout
.jpg/270px-M50_(Ireland).jpg)
The M50 was originally planned to divert traffic travelling through on National Primary Routes away from the city (a full bypass of Dublin) and it now also serves as an arterial route for Dublin city itself, connecting the various outlying suburbs. Though often viewed negatively by some, the M50 is a victim of its own success and has been responsible for much investment and economic activity in the Dublin area. Its benefit to cost ratio is in the order of at least 10.[citation needed]
Each of the National Primary Routes leaving Dublin have junctions with the M50. As of 2008, all bar one of these are in the form of grade-separated signal-controlled roundabout junctions, not free-flowing intersections. The other primary routes served are the N2 to Derry, N3 to Navan/Cavan/Northwest, N4/M4 to Galway/Sligo (fully free-flowing), N7/M7 to Cork/Limerick/Waterford, and the N11/M11 to Wexford. Additional junctions along the motorway serve other suburbs of Dublin such as Ballymun, Tallaght, Dundrum and Sandyford.
Most of these interchanges are subject to notorious levels of traffic congestion, as are the toll-plazas at the West-Link bridge. The busier roundabout junctions are signal-controlled, with tailbacks extending for several kilometers at rush hour. The most infamous is the Red Cow roundabout junction with the N7, also dubbed the "Mad Cow Roundabout". As well as being the junction of two of the busiest roads in the State, the Luas tram Red Line from Tallaght to the city centre runs level across two slip roads, continuing city-bound in the median of the R110 (formerly N7).
The roundabout at the N3 is also notable as the Royal Canal and the Dublin-Sligo railway line pass through its centre.
Due to agreements to overcome planning objections, between Junctions 12 and 14 a lower speed limit (100 km/h) is in force for cars. Special speed limits for other vehicles (buses, lorries etc) are unchanged.
[edit] Future plans
The M50 motorway consists of two-lane dual carriageway, though auxiliary/weaving lanes are provided at several junctions. Plans are in progress under the National Development Plan to upgrade several of the roundabout junctions, including the Red Cow, to free-flowing grade-separated interchanges. The upgrade project also includes widening the surrounding motorway to three or four lanes each direction from the M1 to Sandyford with the extra driving lanes replacing the existing wide grass-covered median. The upgrade programme has been planned to include at least three stages – the upgrade of the section between the N4 road and R838 road (along with replacing the interchanges at junctions 7 and 9 with freeflow layouts), followed by similar upgrades of the northern and then southern motorway sections as far south as Junction 14. Junctions 14-17 will not be upgraded at this time. The upgraded Junction 7 (Lucan/Palmerstown) was completed on 20 December 2007, with Junction 10's upgrade (in a reverse of the situation at the other junctions, this involved the installation of traffic lights) having been completed some weeks previously. Within Phase I, work on Junction 9 and the mainline is ongoing and due to be completed during 2008.
Completion of Dublin's ring road by construction of an Eastern Bypass of the city has been proposed. This plan is highly controversial, as it would require a tunnel across Sandymount Strand to or possibly through Booterstown Marsh bird sanctuary. A motorway reservation from Sandyford to Booterstown has been included in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Development Plan, with space allowed for an interchange where it crosses the N11. The Dublin Port Tunnel, opened on 20th December 2006, would form the northern half of the Eastern bypass.
Controversy has recently arisen over a plan to buy out NTR plc's rights to the West-Link toll bridge. The full details of the plan were announced on 20 September 2007, following NTR plc's previous agreement to the early termination of their contract. The new operator will be BetEire Flow [1]. The new operators will continue charge the NTR 2008 toll charge of cars of EUR 2 for cars who use one of the pre-existing electronic toll collection systems. However there will be a higher EUR 2.50 for those who register their number plate with the new operator, and an even higher charge of EUR 3 for those who fail to register in advance. [2]. Use of the bridge will now be effectively free for Northern Ireland and overseas registered vehicles, as the new operator will have no way of tracing those vehicles to force them to pay the EUR 3 charge.
Works to add three or four lanes each-way commenced on August 15, 2006 and will last five years.
Another outer orbital road has been proposed for the Dublin region in 2006, to be finished by about 2020. It will, if approved, run approximately from Drogheda via Navan, Trim and Kilcock towards Naas.
[edit] Exit list
The South Eastern Motorway section, a radial route, was originally meant to be part of the M11. It curves in the "wrong" direction relative to the city centre).[citation needed]
After Junction 17, the motorway mainline continues as the M11 motorway southbound, with the next opportunity to exit the motorway at the Bray exit.
There is no Junction 8, the junction number having being reserved for a potential extension of the M7 motorway from Lucan/Clondalkin to Naas. This is extremely unlikely to be built given that the N7 Naas Road has been upgraded to three lanes with at grade junctions changed to motorway style filter lanes. However, it is an objective of South Dublin County Council to construct a new junction and use to it provide local access to the Cloverhill area of Palmerstown. This is also very unlikely to happen as the NRA have stated they are against the provision of new interchanges on the existing M50 as they are seen to contribute to traffic congestion on the route and undermine its function as a motorway.
[edit] External links
- M50 Motorway Upgrade
- Environmental Impact Statement on M50 Upgrade Scheme
- Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006 (PDF)- Department of Transport
[edit] References
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